Robot, system, control method, and computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

Provided is a robot arranged in a housing, the robot including: a first movable portion; a second movable portion having a hand holding a wafer; and a control unit which controls the first movable portion and the second movable portion so as to convey the wafer in a state where the wafer held by the hand is located inside an operation region defined in a space between a front wall and a back wall so as not to overlap an open/close region for a cassette opener, which is provided at a position corresponding to an opening of the front wall, to open and close a cassette, and to cause the hand to access the opening of the front wall in a state where the hand is parallel to a horizontal plane.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A robot arranged in a housing having a front wall having an opening for access to a cassette storing a wafer and a back wall facing the front wall, the robot comprising:
 a first base;   a first movable portion which has a first arm having a proximal end side connected to the first base to be rotatable about a first rotation shaft in a vertical plane and a second arm having a proximal end side connected to a distal end side of the first arm to be rotatable about a second rotation shaft in the vertical plane;   a second movable portion which has a second base having a proximal end side connected to a distal end side of the second arm to be rotatable about a third rotation shaft in the vertical plane, a third arm having a proximal end side connected to a distal end side of the second base to be rotatable about a fourth rotation shaft, and a hand having a proximal end side connected to a distal end side of the third arm to be rotatable about a fifth rotation shaft and holding the wafer; and   a control unit which controls the first movable portion and the second movable portion so as to convey the wafer in a state where the wafer held by the hand is located inside an operation region defined in a space between the front wall and the back wall so as not to overlap an open/close region for a cassette opener, which is provided at a position corresponding to the opening of the front wall, to open and close the cassette, and to cause the hand to access the opening of the front wall in a state where the hand is parallel to a horizontal plane.   
     
     
         2 . The robot according to  claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls the first movable portion and the second movable portion so as to convey the wafer in a state where the wafer held by the hand is located inside the operation region further defined so as not to overlap a region of which a distance from an opening of the back wall is less than or equal to a predetermined distance. 
     
     
         3 . The robot according to  claim 1 , wherein a trajectory of the fourth rotation shaft when the wafer is conveyed is shifted toward the back wall from a center line of a width, in a direction perpendicular to the vertical plane, of a trajectory of the second movable portion when the wafer is conveyed. 
     
     
         4 . The robot according to  claim 3 , wherein the control unit controls the first movable portion and the second movable portion so as to convey the wafer while maintaining a state where a first angle between a vector parallel to a direction in which the wafer is conveyed in the operation region and a vector parallel to a straight line passing through the fourth rotation shaft and the fifth rotation shaft and perpendicular to the fourth rotation shaft and the fifth rotation shaft is a predetermined offset angle. 
     
     
         5 . The robot according to  claim 1 , wherein a trajectory of the fourth rotation shaft when the wafer is conveyed is shifted toward the front wall from a center line of a width, in a direction perpendicular to the vertical plane, of a trajectory of the second movable portion when the wafer is conveyed. 
     
     
         6 . The robot according to  claim 1 , wherein a length of the hand and the wafer in a state where the hand holds the wafer is longer than a width of the operation region in a direction perpendicular to the vertical plane. 
     
     
         7 . The robot according to  claim 6 , wherein a length of the third arm is shorter than the width of the operation region in the direction perpendicular to the vertical plane. 
     
     
         8 . The robot according to  claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls the first movable portion and the second movable portion so as to convey the wafer while maintaining a state where a first angle between a vector parallel to a direction in which the wafer is conveyed in the operation region and a vector parallel to a straight line passing through the fourth rotation shaft and the fifth rotation shaft and perpendicular to the fourth rotation shaft and the fifth rotation shaft is a predetermined offset angle. 
     
     
         9 . The robot according to  claim 8 , wherein the control unit controls the first movable portion and the second movable portion so as to convey the wafer while maintaining a state where a second angle between the vector parallel to the direction in which the wafer is conveyed in the operation region and a vector parallel to a center line of the hand perpendicular to the fifth rotation shaft and passing through the fifth rotation shaft is a predetermined angle. 
     
     
         10 . The robot according to  claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls the first movable portion and the second movable portion so as to cause the hand to access an access target while maintaining a state where a second angle between a vector parallel to a direction in which the wafer is conveyed in the operation region and a vector parallel to a center line of the hand perpendicular to the fifth rotation shaft and passing through the fifth rotation shaft satisfies a predetermined angle condition. 
     
     
         11 . The robot according to  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a condition storage unit which stores the angle condition including a first candidate condition that requires the second angle to be included in a first angular range and a second candidate condition that requires the second angle to be included in a second angular range; and   a condition selection unit which selects the angle condition of access processing of causing the hand to access the access target from the first candidate condition and the second candidate condition, based on a position of the access target, wherein   the control unit controls the first movable portion and the second movable portion so as to cause the hand to access the access target while maintaining a state where the angle condition selected by the condition selection unit is satisfied.   
     
     
         12 . The robot according to  claim 11 , wherein the condition selection unit selects the first candidate condition as the angle condition of the access processing in a case where the access target is positioned on a side wall side of the housing and is accessible by the hand only when the second angle is included in the first angular range. 
     
     
         13 . The robot according to  claim 12 , wherein the condition selection unit selects the first candidate condition as the angle condition of the access processing when the access target is a pre-aligner (PA). 
     
     
         14 . The robot according to  claim 11 , wherein in a case where the first candidate condition is selected as the angle condition of first access processing, the condition selection unit selects the first candidate condition as the angle condition of second access processing which is access processing subsequent to the first access processing when the hand is capable of accessing an access target of the second access processing in a state where the second angle is included in the first angular range, and selects the second candidate condition as the angle condition of the second access processing when the hand is incapable of accessing the access target of the second access processing in a state where the second angle is included in the first angular range. 
     
     
         15 . The robot according to  claim 14 , wherein when the condition selection unit selects the second candidate condition as the angle condition of the second access processing, the control unit controls the first movable portion and the second movable portion so as to change the second angle in a portion of the housing for changing the second angle from the first angular range to the second angular range. 
     
     
         16 . The robot according to  claim 15 , wherein the control unit controls the hand so as to change the second angle in the portion of the housing from the first angular range to the second angular range by rotating only the hand. 
     
     
         17 . The robot according to  claim 15 , wherein the control unit controls the hand and the first movable portion so as to change the second angle in the portion of the housing from the first angular range to the second angular range by causing the hand and the first movable portion to perform a cooperative operation. 
     
     
         18 . The robot according to  claim 17 , wherein the control unit controls the hand and the first movable portion so as to change the second angle in the opening of the front wall from the first angular range to the second angular range by causing the hand and the first movable portion to perform a cooperative operation. 
     
     
         19 . The robot according to  claim 15 , wherein when the hand is capable of accessing an access target of third access processing which is access processing subsequent to the second access processing in a state where the second angle is included in the first angular range, the condition selection unit selects the first candidate condition as the angle condition of the third access processing. 
     
     
         20 . The robot according to  claim 15 , wherein when the hand is capable of accessing an access target of third access processing which is access processing subsequent to the second access processing in a state where the second angle is included in the second angular range, the condition selection unit selects the second candidate condition as the angle condition of the third access processing. 
     
     
         21 . The robot according to  claim 11 , wherein the first angular range corresponds to a state where a distal end side of the hand is positioned on a right side of the proximal end side of the hand, and the second angular range corresponds to a state where the distal end side of the hand is positioned on a left side of the proximal end side of the hand. 
     
     
         22 . The robot according to  claim 1 , wherein a width, in a direction perpendicular to the vertical plane, of a trajectory of the first movable portion when the wafer is conveyed in the operation region falls within a width, in the direction perpendicular to the vertical plane, of a trajectory of the wafer being conveyed. 
     
     
         23 . The robot according to  claim 1 , wherein the first arm and the second arm have a structure in which a trajectory of the first arm and a trajectory of the second arm overlap each other when the first arm and the second arm rotate. 
     
     
         24 . The robot according to  claim 23 , wherein a width of the trajectory of the first arm in a direction perpendicular to the vertical plane falls within a width of the trajectory of the second arm in the direction perpendicular to the vertical plane. 
     
     
         25 . The robot according to  claim 23 , wherein a width of the trajectory of the second arm in a direction perpendicular to the vertical plane falls within a width of the trajectory of the first arm in the direction perpendicular to the vertical plane. 
     
     
         26 . The robot according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the first base has a first side surface portion which supports the first movable portion and a second side surface portion which faces the first side surface portion, and   a maximum value of a width between an outer surface of the first side surface portion and an outer surface of the second side surface portion in a direction perpendicular to the vertical plane falls within a width of the operation region in the direction perpendicular to the vertical plane.   
     
     
         27 . The robot according to  claim 1 , wherein the first base is detachably arranged with respect to a bottom portion of the housing. 
     
     
         28 . A system comprising:
 the robot according to  claim 1 ; and   the housing.   
     
     
         29 . A control method executed by a robot which is arranged in a housing having a front wall having an opening for access to a cassette storing a wafer and a back wall facing the front wall, the robot including: a first base; a first movable portion which has a first arm having a proximal end side connected to the first base to be rotatable about a first rotation shaft in a vertical plane and a second arm having a proximal end side connected to a distal end side of the first arm to be rotatable about a second rotation shaft in the vertical plane; and a second movable portion which has a second base having a proximal end side connected to a distal end side of the second arm to be rotatable about a third rotation shaft in the vertical plane, a third arm having a proximal end side connected to a distal end side of the second base to be rotatable about a fourth rotation shaft, and a hand having a proximal end side connected to a distal end side of the third arm to be rotatable about a fifth rotation shaft and holding the wafer, the control method comprising
 controlling the first movable portion and the second movable portion so as to convey the wafer in a state where the wafer held by the hand is located inside an operation region defined in a space between the front wall and the back wall so as not to overlap an open/close region for a cassette opener, which is provided at a position corresponding to the opening of the front wall, to open and close the cassette, and to cause the hand to access the opening of the front wall in a state where the hand is parallel to a horizontal plane.   
     
     
         30 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having recorded thereon a program that causes a computer mounted with a robot to perform a control method, wherein
 the robot, which is arranged in a housing having a front wall having an opening for access to a cassette storing a wafer and a back wall facing the front wall, includes: a first base; a first movable portion which has a first arm having a proximal end side connected to the first base to be rotatable about a first rotation shaft in a vertical plane and a second arm having a proximal end side connected to a distal end side of the first arm to be rotatable about a second rotation shaft in the vertical plane; and a second movable portion which has a second base having a proximal end side connected to a distal end side of the second arm to be rotatable about a third rotation shaft in the vertical plane, a third arm having a proximal end side connected to a distal end side of the second base to be rotatable about a fourth rotation shaft, and a hand having a proximal end side connected to a distal end side of the third arm to be rotatable about a fifth rotation shaft and holding the wafer, the control method comprising   controlling the first movable portion and the second movable portion so as to convey the wafer in a state where the wafer held by the hand is located inside an operation region defined in a space between the front wall and the back wall so as not to overlap an open/close region for a cassette opener, which is provided at a position corresponding to the opening of the front wall, to open and close the cassette, and to cause the hand to access the opening of the front wall in a state where the hand is parallel to a horizontal plane.